


like breathing

by LiveLaughLovex



Series: first to fight [12]
Category: The Code (TV 2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, Established Relationship, F/M, Post-Season/Series 01
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-21
Updated: 2019-12-21
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:27:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21883729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiveLaughLovex/pseuds/LiveLaughLovex
Summary: There are some things Harper realizes, sitting in that waiting room. First off, they have really bad luck when it comes to visiting Kandahar. And, secondly, it's time to stop pretending she isn't aware of just how in love she is with John Abraham.
Relationships: John "Abe" Abraham/Harper Li, Maya Dobbins & Harper Li
Series: first to fight [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1471817
Comments: 6
Kudos: 9





	like breathing

**Author's Note:**

> "Like breathing, loving you is the most natural feeling I've ever known." - Alicia Green

A few months before she and Abe finally got together, Harper had been involved in an accident overseas. Her Humvee had flipped with her and several other Marines still inside, and while her injuries were not anywhere near as severe as they could’ve been, they were still bad enough to land her unconscious for several hours. It wasn’t exactly an experience she loved to recall. In that moment, though, she just couldn’t seem to get it out of her head.

After that incident, Abe hadn’t once left her side. He’d dealt with her parents, with her doctors. He’d offered up his home for her after they returned to the States, cheered her on through every physical therapy session, and sat through countless romantic comedies that lacked both plot and sense. He had done all of this without a single complaint, because that was how deeply he cared for her.

He’d loved her even then; that much was obvious. He’d loved her, and he’d been forced to sit at her bedside. He’d loved her, and he’d been put through the agony of thinking, if just for a moment, that she’d been killed.

She’d never wanted to learn what that felt like, never wanted to think, even for a moment, that he wouldn’t be coming home with her at the end of the day. Unfortunately, though, it seemed there were some things in life that proved completely unavoidable.

They’d arrived in Afghanistan two days earlier to investigate the murder of a local warlord’s wife and see if the charges pressed against three USMC officers were in any way credible. She had chosen to stay with the Marines and discuss alibis and timelines. Abe had agreed to accompany the husband and a translator to the village where the woman had lived. On the drive over, however, her husband pulled a gun he had somehow managed to keep hidden during their discussions, killing the translator and wounding the driver before being taken out by another Marine.

Abe’s vest had stopped one bullet. Another grazed his upper arm, causing plenty of bleeding but not doing any real damage. The force of the bullet to his chest, though not deadly, had been enough to crack several ribs. He’d also suffered a nasty concussion after his head hit the vehicle’s door particularly hard. While not nearly as severe as some of the Humvee’s other occupants’, his injuries were still worrisome, as evidenced by the fact that simply hearing about them had removed every trace of air from Harper’s lungs.

Maya’s arrival pulled Harper from her thoughts. The other woman greeted her softly, flashing a sympathetic smile as she pressed a still-warm mug of coffee into Harper’s hands. “From the bakery across the street. The stuff here both looks and tastes a little too much like motor oil to be enjoyable.”

“Thank you,” Harper replied gratefully, taking a sip and nodding her approval.

“So,” Maya began, claiming the seat next to her friend, “how’s Abe? Is he awake?”

Harper shook her head. “He was in and out earlier, but no, not really. The stuff they gave him on the flight to keep him calm is apparently pretty strong. They said it should wear off entirely in the next hour, though, so.”

“Well. I’m sure he’ll be glad to see you.” Maya took a drink of her own beverage. “What’re his doctors saying about everything?”

“His concussion’s pretty severe, so he’ll have headaches for a few days, possibly migraines. They’re not really worried about it suddenly becoming a bleed, though, which is a good thing. His arm apparently looked worse than it was. All that blood, but it only took them six stitches to fix him up. And he has a few cracked ribs from the vest, which is much better than the alternative.” Harper inhaled deeply, then released the breath slowly. “All in all, things didn’t go nearly as bad as they could’ve.”

“Sounds like it,” Maya agreed. “Though I have to say, you two must have the worst luck on the planet. You’ve both landed in this place after getting wounded in the same province.”

“Abe said something similar before he went under,” Harper fondly informed her friend. “It wasn’t nearly as coherent, because he was under the influence of painkillers at the time, but… it was similar, nonetheless.”

“That boyfriend of yours, he’s occasionally very smart.” Maya hid her smirk behind her cup.

“Yes,” Harper replied amusedly. “I would argue he’s always smart, of course.”

“Of course.”

“Captain Li?” one of the nurses caring for Abe interrupted politely, smiling warmly when Harper’s eyes flew to hers. “We have Captain Abraham settled in his room again. He’s coming to, and he requested to see you.”

“Okay,” Harper breathed, pushing up from her seat. She handed her nearly empty cup over to Maya, then followed the nurse down the hallway to Abe’s private room. “Did the rest of the tests, did they…”

“Everything’s normal,” the nurse assured her. “The doctor will explain it to you both in further detail later, but no causes for concern were detected.”

“Good,” Harper murmured, mostly to herself. “That’s good.”

“Yes,” the nurse smiled, stepping aside so she could step through the partially closed door of Abe’s room. “It’s very good. Page me if either of you needs anything, yes?”

“We will,” Harper promised, mustering up a polite smile as the woman nodded and then vanished down the hallway, heading back the way they’d come.

Harper drew in a deep breath before pushing the door completely open, unsure why she suddenly felt so nervous. It wasn’t like she hadn’t spent just about every waking moment of the past month with the man. Abe smiled when she walked into the room, however, reaching out his uninjured arm for her, and that was enough to rid her of any remaining anxiety.

“Apparently I’ve been high for the past seven or so hours,” he informed her once she’d claimed the chair next to his bed and intertwined their fingers. “Sucks that I can’t remember much of it.”

“Getting high doesn’t deserve all the hype it gets,” she promised. “I went through a rebellious phase in high school. In my experience, it just makes you clingy and hungry. I apparently told a complete stranger I wanted to marry them once.”

“Well,” Abe replied laughingly, “probably a good thing they didn’t take you at your word.”

“Yeah,” Harper agreed with a wry smile. “It most definitely is.”

“So,” Abe began, “what happened with the case? Did the charges get dropped?”

“The actual murderer shot a civilian and two Marines,” Harper reminded him needlessly. “Didn’t take long to convince everyone involved there was no point in prosecuting innocent people. Plus, they wouldn’t have had a prosecutor.” She shrugged when he eyed her curiously. “I might not have reacted well to the news that you were hurt,” she admitted begrudgingly.

“Believe me,” Abe assured her, squeezing her hand gently, “I know how that goes.” He smiled just a second later. “Speaking of which, I’m starting to think you and I need to stop going to Kandahar. It never ends well for either one of us.”

Harper returned his smile with a wry one of her own, mildly surprised to find her eyes were pricking with tears. “Not the most awful idea you’ve ever had. Unfortunately, I don’t think Turnbull will take a few near-death experiences as proof that we happen to be cursed when it comes to that place.”

“You need to learn to have some faith, Li,” Abe returned humorously, though his smile slipped the instant hers did. “You okay?” he questioned concernedly, unsure what to make of her pained gaze, her trembling lips.

“You got shot,” she reminded him needlessly, seemingly incredulous that he even had to ask.

“Technically, yes, but the vest stopped it,” he reminded her. “And the other, well, that was just a graze.” He smiled fondly, though his gaze remained concerned. “Thank God for Kevlar, right?”

“Yeah,” she agreed, her voice no louder than a whisper. “Thank God for Kevlar.”

“Hardly the worst thing I’ve been through, Harper,” he reminded her gently.

“That…” She scoffed humorlessly. “That really isn’t helping me out right now. I…”

“I know,” he replied softly. “Believe me, I know.”

Her eyes finally met his. “I love you,” she told him strongly, definitively, no doubt in her gaze or hesitation in her tone. “And I know it’s incredibly cliché to say it right now, but it’s been true for months now, and I’m too scared of something happening to you or to me to not say it now, when I mean it, so you know. So that you’ll always know. Which is also an incredibly cliché thing to say, but…”

“Hey,” Abe interrupted fondly, obviously holding back laughter, “I love you too, Harper. I don’t really care how cliché it is to say it now, either, because I felt it the _last_ time we were in a hospital too, so…”

“We have to start just saying how we feel,” Harper sighed with a hint of a smile. “Waiting until one of us nearly dies just isn’t a sustainable pattern.” Her eyes widened slightly. “Well. I hope it isn’t, at least.”

“Yeah,” he huffed a laugh. “So do I.” He shifted slightly, wincing when it caused dull pain to shoot through his side. “So. When do I get to go home?”

“As soon as your concussion’s gone,” she replied. “Eager to get home for some reason?”

“Oh,” he murmured, “it’s for a lot of reasons.”

“Put a pause on those ideas there, Captain,” she warned him amusedly. “You have bruised ribs.”

He fell back against the pillows with an aggravated sigh. “Damn Kevlar.”

“Hey! I’m still rather fond of that Kevlar.” She stood from her chair, pressing a kiss to his flushed cheek and then, gently, to his lips. “It kept you here with me.”

“Yeah,” he allowed. “I guess it’s not all bad.”

“No.” She shook her head, her face still close to his. “Don’t love it as much as I love you, though.”

“Never going to get tired of hearing you say that,” Abe told her.

“I’ve said it three times, at most,” she reminded him amusedly.

“I stand by what I’ve said.” He moved over slightly on the bed, gesturing for her to claim the space next to him.

“You have bruised ribs,” she protested, heaving a long-suffering sigh when he shook his head stubbornly. “I’m getting up the second I start hurting you,” she asserted, curling up in the space beside him.

He nodded, then slowly lowered an arm to wrap around her shoulders. “Hey,” he murmured a moment later.

“Yeah?” she replied, already growing tired in his embrace. Now that she’d seen with her own two eyes that he was going to be okay, her exhaustion was taking over.

“I love you too,” he told her, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of her head.

She smiled sleepily. “Yeah,” she breathed, her eyes drifting shut. “I know.”

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote some other things before this, but there were moments in those that made it sort of crucial for me to write their first "I Love You's," so I finally managed to sit down and write this. Hopefully I'll have some of the other stuff edited and ready to be published soon.


End file.
